Married and with two children, Albert Jovell (1962-2013) was a doctor specializing in preventive medicine and public health with an extensive and celebrated professional career. In October 2013, he was awarded the Josep Trueta Health Merit medal by the Catalan government for his professional contributions. 

He held a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), a PhD in Sociology from the UB and a PhD in Public Health from Harvard University. He had directed the UIC’s Institute of Public Health and Health Policy since 2011 and also taught classes in the UIC Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dr. Jovell was also the founder and president of the Spanish Patient Forum, the President of the Catalan Patient Forum and the Spanish Association of Rare Tumours (APTURE), a member of the board of directors of the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS) and a member of the board of directors of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO). He had previously served as the General Manager of the Josep Laporte Foundation and was an associate professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). He was also the founder and a former director of the Women and Health Observatory and a former director of the Patients’ University.

Dr. Jovell was well known in the fields of healthcare management, ethics, healthcare service evaluation and public health. He gave countless lectures at both national and international institutions and wrote over 190 academic and newspaper articles, as well as several chapters and prologues to books. In his last book, Te Puede Pasar a Ti (It Could Happen to You), published in 2012, he defended public health for the benefit of society.

With regard to research, his contributions to the following projects as head researcher deserve special mention: “Scientific Evidence in Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas”, “Quality of Online Information about Diabetes”, “Health Needs Analysis of Spanish Women”, “Map of Women’s Associations in Spain”, “The Patient with Osteoporosis”, “The Cancer Patient”, “The Future of the Medical Profession”, “Cooperative Government of the Medical Profession” and “Evaluation of the Efficacy and Effectiveness of Multiple Sclerosis Treatments and Their Impact on the Quality of Life of Patients and their Families”.

The UIC Governing Board, its faculty members and the entire university community offer their deepest sympathy and condolences to the family and ask everyone to pray for his soul.